Google’s Nexus series of devices – handsets and tablets – have long been the pinnacle of Android hardware. Often compared to Apple’s iPhone, the Nexus handsets were the showcase for Google’s Android operating system (OS). The Nexus did away with the “skin” or overlay that many hardware manufacturers used to make their devices stand out from the crowd and, instead, focused on Android in its purest form.

Unlike Apple, Google does not make the handsets themselves. Instead, they use different Android partners to manufacture the handsets to their specifications. In the past, these have included Samsung, LG and Huawei.

While this has resulted in a pure, unadulterated Android experience, the overall user experience was nowhere near as polished as the iPhone experience. The strength of Apple’s iOS mobile operating system lies, not in the software but, in how well the software works with the hardware. After all, Apple controls both.

This is what Google had hoped would happen with Nexus. That dream, however, was never fully realised.

The Down-low on the Nexus

2015’s Nexus 5X (made by LG) and Nexus 6P (made by Huawei) were both rated as some of the best Nexus handsets ever made.

The Nexus 6P was, overall, such a complete device that many expected Huawei to be the manufacturer of 2016’s Nexus smartphones. Based on an article published on South African technology site, Gearburn, it certainly seemed as if that would be the case. Recent rumours, however, point at HTC being the manufacturer behind the new Google handsets.

Introducing Pixel

The more interesting rumour floating around the internet is that Google’s new handsets will no longer bear the Nexus name and might, instead, be called Pixel.

The search giant has also opted to create a massive global advertising campaign for the, as yet, unannounced phones, with sculptures, laser projections and billboards springing up all over the world. These show the outline of a phone alongside the date October 4 and the famous Google G.

There have been plenty of leaks lately and all of them appear to indicate that Google will be releasing two phones under the Pixel brand. Namely, the 5-inch Pixel X and 5.5-inch Pixel XL.

Rumored Google Pixel X Specs

5-inch display with 1,920×1,080-pixel resolution

12- or 13-megapixel rear camera

8-megapixel front-facing camera

Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor

32GB, 128GB storage options

4GB RAM

2,770 mAh battery

Android 7.0 Nougat

Google Daydream-ready

Rumored Google Pixel XL specs

5.5-inch display with 2,560×1,440-pixel resolution

12- or 13-megapixel rear camera

8-megapixel front-facing camera

Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor

32GB, 128GB storage options

4GB RAM

Android 7.0 Nougat

Google Daydream-ready

Whether or not any of these rumours are true, we’ll find out when Google unveils their new devices on October 4.